Among the Stars
by Hostfanatic
Summary: Third in the "Among the Lights" trilogy. The chipmunks are home and are all reunited at last, but their problems aren't over yet. This time, the 'munks are being summoned into outer space by six other chipmunks who claim to be their innocent doubles...but there might be more to them than meets the eye. And how exactly does Adam fit into all this? Will he finally get what he wants?
1. Chapter 1

** Hi, there! Hostfanatic is back with the third—and last—story in my trilogy. If you haven't read "Among the Lights" and then "Among the Gems" yet, then go do that and come back before you read this one.**

** Here we go, with the prologue of "Among the Stars!"**

"_Jeanette, I grow tired of asking."_

_ "Then make this the last time!"_

_ "Jeanette. You don't want to hurt anymore."_

_ Jeanette froze at Adam's tone. It was…gentle? It seemed almost…caring._

_ "I can see in your eyes that you don't want to hurt anymore. If you went with me…if you were in love with me…then you wouldn't have to hurt anymore. Simon has caused you pain, Jeanette. I wouldn't. You belong with me."_

_ His words were so soothing, so hypnotic…Jeanette opened her mouth and, smiling, whispered, "Yes."_

_ "Jeanette?"_

_ The voice was not Adam's._

_ She whirled to see Simon standing in the doorway. He was staring at her. His face suddenly crumpled in pain._

_ "Simon…" she reached out to him. "Simon, no!"_

_ Simon turned and fled._

_ "Simon!" Jeanette tried to run after him, but Adam was there, holding her so tightly that she couldn't breathe._

_ "You belong with me," he whispered._

_ His evil, maniacal laughter filled the air, filled Jeanette's ears. It was everywhere, growing louder and louder…she couldn't escape it…_

_ "No…no…"_

"NO!"

Jeanette sat bolt upright, screaming.

She abruptly cut herself off, panting as she stared around.

Low walls…rocking motion…portholes…

_It's okay, _she soothed herself. _I'm on the ship._

Panting, she flopped backward onto her pillow and stared up at the ceiling. Tears began to escape as she closed her eyes tightly and tried to get rid of the words burned in her ears. She let out a tiny sob.

Then there was a movement on the end of her bed, and in the next second, Simon was right next to her with his arms around her. He hugged her tight, soothing her with calm words in her ear as he did every time. She didn't care that she was making a fool of herself. She just hugged him tighter, sobbing into his shirt.

Finally, she managed to calm down and the tears stopped coming. Shaking slightly, she brushed the wetness away from her fur.

"Nightmares again?" Simon murmured. Jeanette nodded without looking at him.

"It's all right, Jeanette," he told her quietly. "I'm not going to let anything hurt you. Or anyone. You don't need to worry about Adam. Not anymore."

Soothed by his words, she was slowly lulled back to sleep.

Simon stared down at her. He reached out a hand and gently brushed a lock of her hair out of her face. Her expression was peaceful and dreamy now, and he knew that she wasn't having a nightmare anymore.

_I wonder if she's dreaming about me…_

He pushed those thoughts away. Anyone could see that he didn't deserve Jeanette.

But she loved him anyway…

He smiled. Then he remembered how she had cried and shook in her sleep, how shaken and afraid she had been. He gritted his teeth as he thought of the source of her fright and tears and pain.

_Adam…_

Simon clenched his fists, and then quickly tried to relax more as Jeanette stiffened in her sleep.

He was going to find a way someday to get Adam back for all the hurt and pain that he had caused Jeanette.

But right now, he was just content to sit in bed with her, hold her in his arms…oh, he had missed holding her. He had missed her gentle touch, her soft voice, her beautiful, beautiful eyes…he had missed her so much.

But she was here right now. She was with him, in his arms. And he would never let her go again.

* * *

Jeanette yawned and rolled over. She stretched, and then remembered the events of the past night. She sat bolt upright and frowned, blinking the sleepiness from her eyes.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," a gentle voice laughed, and she felt Simon brush some hair out of her eyes. "I thought you'd never wake up."

She blinked and looked over at him, trying to separate his blob from the rest of the shapeless blobs in the room.

"Morning," she mumbled, rubbing at her eyes with one hand and groping for her glasses with the other.

"Here," he said, amusement still in his tone, and she felt her glasses in her hand. She quickly put them on, and the room came into focus.

"Thanks for helping me last night, Simon," she said quietly.

"No problem," he told her gently, climbing out of bed and helping her down as well. "Want to go up on deck?"

"Is everyone else awake?"

"No, not yet. It's really pretty early. I was joking earlier when I said I thought you'd never wake up. You're getting up awfully early these days, Jeanette…and you don't go to bed until late."

"And I wake up a lot during the night, too," Jeanette sighed in chagrin. "I'm just not sleeping very well lately, Simon." She stretched some more and rubbed the purple jewel dangling from her necklace.

"Well, let's go up on deck and maybe see the sunrise."

They hurried out of their small cabin and went past Eleanor and Theodore's, and then Brittany and Alvin's, and lastly Monique's, before climbing up the stairs to the upper deck.

The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, a brilliant glowing ball of fire on the skyline. The two chipmunks leaned over the rail and watched it. Jeanette curled up against Simon, and he put an arm around her shoulder as they sat together and watched the sun turn all the clouds a light pink, then a brighter orange, and then a fiery red.

Jeanette sighed when the sunrise was almost over. Simon sighed slightly as well, smiling down at Jeanette. She leaned her head on his shoulder, watching the beautiful sky.

"It's gorgeous," she whispered.

Simon smiled. "It's very pretty," he agreed. "But I'd never use the word gorgeous. Not since you're here in comparison."

Jeanette blushed slightly. She stood up and hugged Simon quickly before saying, "I'm going to go up for a while."

He nodded.

She stood and walked over to the rail, peering down at the frothing, foaming waves. She shivered slightly, thinking about how hard and cold the waves must be.

She stared out at the sun, still rising.

Sometimes it was all just too much.

Jeanette was filled with despair…but she knew what could make it all go away.

She carefully climbed up onto the rail, making sure that Simon wasn't watching. She closed her eyes and flexed her legs.

Unexpectedly, her eyes filled with tears, but she tried to blink them away. She refused to look back down at the water.

She lifted her face to the rising sun, raising her arms gracefully above her head for a moment.

She smiled.

Then she leapt off the stern of the boat.

She fell gracefully down through the air toward the water. Her eyes were still closed, and the wind whistled through her hair. It was so peaceful for just a moment. She took a breath and smiled.

Then she rubbed the purple gem dangling from her necklace. There was a sudden bright flash of light.

And she snapped her wings open and began to fly.

* * *

She loved flying beyond anything that had ever happened to her. If everything in her ordeals had been horrible, at least flying was something amazing. She never got used to the feeling of wind rushing through her fur, soaring through her wings, hugging her body and cupping her wings like little air pockets, making her go higher and higher and higher. She loved it. She lived for it. And when she was filled with despair, flying WAS what made it go all away.

She laughed, giddy, as she spiraled up through the air, flapping her violet wings streaked with indigo. She twirled and spun through the air, the wind rushing past and making her fur stand on end. She shivered. It was a delicious feeling.

She spun and twirled and flew above the ship for a while, always keeping it in range. She knew that Simon was watching her somewhere down there, and she smiled to think of how much he loved her. She had missed him so much when she had been trapped underground in those caves with Adam. She was privately glad, though, that she hadn't had her powers yet. As a sky-dwelling creature now, she was desperately uncomfortable in underground places, places where she couldn't see the sky. The same way Brittany didn't like it when she wasn't around water, and the same way Eleanor was uncomfortable when there weren't any plants around. Eleanor wasn't doing the greatest on the ship, since there weren't any plants near, but Brittany and Jeanette were just fine due to the open expanse of sky and the open expanse of sea to fly in and swim in. The boys were all fine with their surroundings, because their powers were more like superpowers than the others'.

Jeanette spun and dove down toward the ship, pulling out of the steep dive just in time to perch on one of the masts. She leaned against the polished wood and stared off into the horizon…

She blinked.

No…it was still there.

She blinked again and squinted harder, but she could just barely make out a tiny speck on the horizon. She launched herself off the mast, beating her wings hard, and shot up much higher into the sky until the ship was just a small dot on the sea below. She peered at the speck again.

Then she made out what it was.

Her eyes widened, and she instantly tucked her wings in and went into a steep, fast dive down toward the ship. It was over in nearly two seconds before she shot her wings out and braked hard, coming to a clumsy stop and tumbling to the deck, hard.

"Jeanette, are you okay?" Simon ran over instantly to help her up. She winced and rubbed at the scratches on her elbows.

"What happened?" he asked urgently.

She grinned at him, breathless, her purple eyes sparkling.

"I saw land," she said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two! Enjoy!**

**I forgot the disclaimer in the first chapter: I do not own Alvin and the chipmunks or Dave or any of that. I do, however, own the plotline and Adam is mine, so back the heck off.**

**:D Thank you!**

Jeanette looked one way, and then another. No one was watching.

She closed her eyes and rubbed her gem slightly. She got that feeling, the feeling that she was slowly being filled up with something sparkling and sweet.

Slowly, slowly, she began to rise off the floor. She floated up, up, all the way to the top of the cupboard to grab the textbook that had previously been out of reach. Then she made herself horizontal against the ceiling, clutching the textbook to her chest and giggling. Then she swung her legs back down so that she was vertical and slowly drifted back down to the floor.

"Ahem."

Someone cleared their throat behind her, and she whirled to see Brittany step into the room.

"That textbook was pretty high up, wasn't it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jeanette tried to look cool and disinterested as she brushed past her sister. "No, not at all."

"Jeanette, you were cheating, weren't you?" The term was used in reference to their powers—Brittany knew full well that her sister would never cheat in schoolwork.

"No!" Jeanette said quickly. A little too quickly.

She sighed at the smug look on her sister's face. "All right, all right. I did. But it was just to get a textbook, nothing else. I don't use my powers for bad."

Brittany snickered and strode off.

Jeanette rolled her eyes and hurried to her locker. The chipmunks had all been finding out that their powers could still be used without their jewels, but in limited ways. She couldn't fly without her wings, but she could gently float up to an extent. She couldn't steer or go anywhere else, but she could float up and down like an elevator. Helpful when, for instance, there was a textbook that she couldn't reach.

Dave had sternly told them not to use their powers at all since they'd gotten back from their ship adventure, but sometimes, they couldn't help themselves.

Jeanette gulped slightly. They were getting their report cards back today, though. And Dave would soon know if they had been cheating or not.

* * *

"Guys."

All the chipmunks on the couch winced simultaneously. They knew what was coming next.

One by one, they slid off the couch and scampered into the kitchen. They all clambered up onto the table to face Dave, who was sitting in a chair and had their six report cards spread out in front of them.

"All right, let's go over grades," he said, his voice slightly stern.

He consulted the report cards. He slid Simon's and Jeanette's forward first.

"Simon. History, A+. Science, A+. Math, A+. English, A. French, A. Home Ec., A-. And P.E., D."

Simon blushed slightly.

"Well, aside from the gym grade, this all looks good," Dave continued. "Try to bump up that Home Ec. Grade."

"It was just because I burned that lasagna," Simon hastily explained. "She took points off for that."

Dave suppressed a smile.

"Er…any…any comments?" Simon tried to force his voice to be casual.

"We're going over all the comments last," Dave said, his voice grave and stern.

Simon wilted.

"Jeanette next," Dave continued. "Let's see. History, A. Science, A. Math, A+. English, A+. French, A+. Home Ec., A-…" He frowned at Jeanette in confusion.

"Simon and I were working together on that lasagna project," she hastily explained.

"And gym…B-."

Jeanette blinked in astonishment. She had been positive that her gym grade had been just as terrible as Simon's.

"I'll explain why in a minute," he said dryly, and moved on. "Theodore and Eleanor, you both had the same exact grades, so I'll just read them both off to you. History, B+. Math, B. English, A-. German, A. Home Ec., A+. Gym, B-." He looked up at both of them. "Science, A+."

They both fidgeted. They knew exactly why they had gotten such a good grade in science this term.

"Brittany," he said, "your grades were fairly good as well. Let's se…History, English, and Spanish were all A-. Math was a B+. Home Ec., B. And you didn't have gym, you had a selected physical course, which was swimming." He leveled a glance with her. "A+."

Now it was Brittany's turn to fidget and blush.

"And Science was an A-."

Then he turned to Alvin and raised an eyebrow.

Alvin smiled weakly.

"Let's see, Alvin. History, C. Math, F. Science, D. Spanish, D+. Home Ec., C+. English, D. Gym…A+."

He glared at each one of them in turn, and lingered especially on Alvin.

"F in math," Simon snickered to his brother under his breath. "Nice."

Alvin shot a glower at him.

"Now, let's go over the comments," Dave said in a falsely cheerful voice.

He picked up Simon's report card. "Simon is doing very well in all of his classes," he read. "He's a smart student and is willing to learn. Whenever he goes near a certain group of football players in my class, though, I sense that he has a bit of an aversion to them. It's _almost _like he _just disappears _whenever they go near him."

He gave Simon a look, and Simon refused to meet his gaze.

"The only thing I saw in his performance level that was concerning was in gym class. He isn't very athletic, I don't think, and doesn't seem to enjoy the class. He was, however, very good at dodgeball. It was the strangest thing—some of the balls seemed to just be _bouncing off of him."_

Simon was still fidgeting.

Dave sighed and picked up Jeanette's report card. "Jeanette is a very enthusiastic learner," he read. "She's smart and inquisitive and willing to learn, which is something we look for in every student. She doesn't seem to enjoy physical education very much, except for the gymnastics unit. She is really quite splendid at it. She goes so high when she's leaping or flipping, and she's so graceful that it almost seems like she's _floating across the mat."_

Jeanette coughed slightly and stared fixedly at the table.

"She should really look into a gymnastics course, or perhaps cheerleading."

Brittany scowled.

"Theodore. Theodore is a very bright young man, and he has great potential. He particularly enjoys his Home Ec. Class and his science class. He has a sunny disposition, and his surroundings almost seem to match his emotion. The room always _seems just a little bit brighter _whenever he's in our class and ready to learn, and he almost seems to be under a _little blanket of darkness _whenever he's upset." Theodore stared at the window as if it were the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen. "Eleanor is very similar, and she enjoys science a lot. She and Theodore worked together on our plant project, and their plant grew to be higher and healthier than all the rest of the class. It was getting _all the nutrients and light that it needed, _and Theodore and Eleanor got a spectacular science grade because of it."

Eleanor stared at Theodore, and their faces both had panic and guilt on them.

"Brittany. Brittany is a charming young lady—,"

Alvin began to laugh so hard that he fell onto the table. Brittany growled and punched him in the stomach, hard. He let out a little "oof" and fell silent.

"Brittany is a charming young lady who enjoys her classes and enjoys her friends even more," Dave continued as if nothing had happened. "She is a bit chatty at some times, but it is nothing that is unmanageable. She has great potential to go far one day, and her grades are at a proficient level." He looked up at Brittany. "And your swimming coach left a note too, Brittany!" he chirped with sarcastic enthusiasm. "He says that you are the _best _swimmer that he's had on the team in a long time. He's _amazed _at your stamina to swim long distances without tiring, and he is _astounded _that you can _go so far underwater without even having to come up for air."_

Brittany blushed hard.

"And Alvin."

Alvin stopped laughing instantly and stared guiltily at the table.

"Alvin's work is not as satisfactory as it should be. His grades are faltering, and he has great potential to lift them up if he just wanted to. Still, he his an enthusiastic young man and could go very far with his time…which he chooses now to, unfortunately, spend mostly cracking jokes with his jock friends and flirting with the cheerleaders."

Brittany snickered right back at Alvin.

"His gym teacher," Dave continued, still in that cheery voice, "says that he is an _astounding _athlete, however. Apparently, he is stronger than most of the football team, despite being only a chipmunk. He is _very strong, _and does well in the _weight training and lifting area of the gym classes. _Also, his track work has improved greatly. He is _the fastest runner in the class. _He ran his mile in _only four minutes! _He is a great gym student."

Dave set the report cards down and surveyed the six chipmunks before him who were all blushing and squirming and avoiding his eye.

"Well," he said at last. "This is something that we must discuss, guys."

"Dave—," Jeanette began, but Dave held up his hand.

"Guys, listen to me," he said sternly. "If you can't learn how to handle your powers, I'm going to need to take your gems away."

Instantly, there was an uproar at his words.

"Please don't, Dave!" Jeanette begged.

"Dave, we'll be better about it, honestly!" Simon cried.

"Dave, you can't!" Theodore was aghast.

"No…don't take them, please!" Eleanor wailed.

"Dave, you don't understand!" Brittany cried.

"We won't use them, honest!" Alvin insisted.

"Guys, you promised that at the end of the year!" Dave snapped. "I just don't think you're responsible enough to handle this. If you're not, then I have to take them away so that you don't use them."

The chipmunks and chipettes stared at one another desperately. If he took their gems away…

Jeanette stepped forward and cleared her tiny throat. "Dave," she said in a voice that was barely above a whisper, "please don't take them. We need these gems. I know it doesn't make sense to you, because, well…you don't have one, but it's like they're a part of us. We get so uncomfortable when we don't have them with us…please, we won't use them. We can't stand the feeling of being away from them. Just give us another chance. We won't use them, honest, if you just let us keep them."

Dave leveled Jeanette with a glance, but her eyes were open and sincere. He knew that he could always trust Jeanette to tell the truth.

"All right," he said at last, rather reluctantly. "I'll give you guys one more chance. But if I get any more comments like this, then I'll be forced to take them away."

They all breathed a sigh of relief. "We won't use them anymore, Dave," Theodore said earnestly.

"Promise," Eleanor added eagerly.

"All right," Dave sighed in a resigned tone of voice. "There's one other thing that I have to talk to you about." He glanced at each of them, blew out a huge huff of breath, and continued. "I'm going to Europe—,"

"WE'RE GOING TO EUROPE?" Alvin and Brittany shrieked at the same time. Brittany clasped her hands together in delight, and Alvin twirled her around.

"Europe? Wow!" Theodore breathed.

"No, guys," Dave said, interrupting their celebration. "I'M going to Europe. There's a record deal here that I have to seal for you guys with some other people from Europe, and I'm going to be away for two weeks." He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Toby is going to come and watch you the second week, but he wasn't available the first week." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know that I'm going to regret this, but—,"

"You're leaving us home alone?" Brittany cried, unable to mask her delight.

"YEAH!" Alvin cried, picking her up and twirling her around again.

Dave glared at them.

Alvin quickly put his counterpart down and put a serious expression on his face. "But we'll really miss you," he added.

Everyone rolled their eyes.

"All right, we're going to go finish our television show," Simon called. He grabbed Jeanette's paw and they hopped off the table and scampered into the living room. The others quickly followed.

"Wait, Alvin," Dave called. "We need to discuss these grades of yours…"


	3. Chapter 3

**And here we are with the third chapter! Like it? Hate it? Let me know!**

**Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Alvin and the chipmunks, or the chipettes, or Dave or Claire or Zoe. But I do own Adam. Ha, ha.**

"All right, guys. Remember, you convinced me that you could handle this," Dave told them sternly. It was the weekend before spring break, and he was getting ready to leave for the airport.

"Simon, Jeanette," he continued, "you two be sure to keep a good eye on Ellie and Theo and make sure they brush their teeth every night. Oh, and make sure that Alvin and Brittany don't do anything bad or burn the house down. Ellie, Theo, make sure you brush your teeth every night. Alvin, Brittany, don't do anything bad or burn the house down."

They both scowled.

"'Bye, guys!" Dave called, waving and stepping out the front door.

As soon as they saw him drive down the street, Alvin let out a whoop. "We're all alone in the house with no school for an entire WEEK!" he screamed. "How sick is THAT?"

Brittany cheered, too. "At last, I get to go shopping!" she cried, an expression of pure bliss and ecstasy written on her face.

"I'd be more than willing to tote some bags for you," Alvin told her, making a sweeping bow.

Her face brightened. "Really?" she said breathlessly.

"Heck, no! Last time, I almost broke my back."

"You have superstrength now, Alvin," she reminded him.

"But I can't just stroll through the mall with twenty-six bags and show that off to the world!"

She gave him Bambi eyes.

He let out a sigh. "Fine, fine."

She let out a squeal. "This is going to be soooo fabulous," she shrieked. "I have to go get my wallet."

"I can help speed that along," Alvin volunteered.

She saw the evil gleam in his eye. "Alvin Seville, don't you dare—,"

He instantly scooped her up and tossed her into the air. She shrieked as she flew all the way up the stairs, due to his superstrength. He quickly used his superspeed, and instantly, everything except for him was moving in slow motion—at least, that's how it looked to him. Really, he was just moving super, super fast.

He zipped up the stairs faster than the others' eyes could track and then skidded to a stop, easily catching Brittany right at the top of the stairs.

He used his superspeed to get down the hall to her room in a matter of seconds, and then he set her on the ground.

"WHAT is your PROBLEM?" she shrieked at him.

He fell over laughing. "It's just so much FASTER when I do it!" he explained innocently. "Plus, it's fun."

She punched him in the ribs, hard, and let out an "oof" and fell over.

Satisfied, she went over and pulled her wallet out of the closet.

Jeanette let out a little giggle from downstairs and climbed onto the couch. She rubbed her gem, and there was a little flash of light. Then her wings appeared. She slowly stretched them, shaking them out, and then she launched herself off the couch and flapped them, hard. She soared gracefully up into the air and couldn't help the feeling of elation that swept through her—she rarely did anything gracefully.

She managed to skitter to a stop on the top shelf of the bookshelves.

"Jeanette, be careful," Simon called, worried.

"I'm all right," she told him, and selected a book. She dropped it down and it landed with a thud on the carpet, and then she jumped.

She grinned as she went down in pure freefall for a moment. Then she snapped her wings open, and they caught the air like giant sails or parachutes. She carefully floated down to perch on the book.

She pulled her wings in tight to her back, and with another flash of light, they vanished. She grinned at Simon, and he couldn't help but grin back.

Then he vanished.

"Are we seriously going to play this game, Simon?" she asked aloud, rolling her eyes.

She didn't hear a single sound.

Exasperated, she took a tentative step forward, and then another.

Then she felt something grab her from behind, and she let out a squeal and tried to escape. Too late.

Simon knocked her to the floor, laughing, and managed to pin her down.

"No!" she shrieked, squirming. "Simon, let me go!"

Laughing, he got off of her and helped her to her feet. "Sorry," he said with a smirk.

"You are not," she chastised, giving him a little smack.

"Oh, you're right," he said, and she flew at him, but then bounced off and hit the floor.

"Not nice," she growled at him, getting off the floor and surveying the force field that he had thrown up. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed the book off the floor and headed for the couch again.

"Hey, I'm sorry, Jean," he said from behind her instantly, like she knew he would. She rolled her eyes, shoved the book up onto the couch, and climbed back up after it. She opened it to the page she had been on and began to read.

After a while, he quietly crept up next to her. "Can I read, too?" he asked softly.

"If you must." Her voice seemed detached as she got absorbed in Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

He snuggled up next to her and began to read with her. After a second, she relaxed slightly and leaned her head against his shoulder. He smiled and knew that he was forgiven.

"Where's Ellie and Theo?" Jeanette asked suddenly, raising her head. Then she heard two voices in the kitchen.

"See, we have to add a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and then get the flour and—,"

"No, Ellie, wait. I think we have to add the sugar next, see? And then the flour."

"Oh, yeah, you're right." A giggle. "Thanks, Theo. Could you grab the sugar, please? I can't reach it."

"That answers that question," Simon muttered, smiling and turning back to his book.

"We'll have a fresh batch of desserts within the hour," Jeanette murmured back, giggling slightly.

"We're going shopping, bye!" Brittany called to the others as she flounced back down the stairs, wallet in hand.

"Yeah, what fun," Alvin muttered.

"Are you saying you DON'T want to go shopping?" Brittany demanded. "Because maybe some other girl would appreciate that more."

"I'm coming, dear," Alvin said, rolling his eyes at the bespectacled chipmunks on the couch.

Jeanette smothered a giggle with one hand.

**_Later that night…_**

"I'm…I'm kind of nervous, Simon," Jeanette whispered.

"About what?" he asked her as they both looked out at the stars. They were sitting in the tree outside, looking up at the night sky. The others were inside, getting ready for bed. Jeanette, however, was getting a strange sense of foreboding.

"I'm not sure," Jeanette said, leaning back on the branch to get a better look at the moon. "I just get the feeling that something bad is about to happen." She let out a tiny shiver. "I got this feeling when Adam came back…"

Simon didn't say a word, but his expression automatically became stonier.

Jeanette shivered and pressed herself closer to Simon. He hugged her just a bit tighter to his side.

"I already told you," he said in a whisper, "I'm not going to let him hurt you. Not anymore. You're never going to have to worry about him again. I won't let him hurt you."

She stared up at the stars, feeling so small.

"Isn't THAT cute."

Jeanette froze.

Simon did, too.

_No._

_ Impossible._

Jeanette brushed her paw lightly against the scars that ran up and down her arm. She began to shake and tremble uncontrollably. Together, they looked down.

Adam was standing in a pool of moonlight, arms crossed sardonically, staring up at them.

Jeanette let out a shriek, unable to stop herself. She tried to get to her feet, but she slipped.

"Jeanette!" Simon yelled, but it was too late. Screaming, she fell to the ground. It was a good thing they hadn't been too high.

She instantly stumbled to her feet and slowly backed away from Adam, shivering uncontrollably.

"Nice to see you again, Jeanette," Adam sneered, taking a step forward, and then another. Jeanette tripped and fell to the ground. She looked up, gulping.

"I've been waiting a long time for this," Adam snarled at her, the smile gone from his face. "And I think I'm going to enjoy it."

He began to step forward, when suddenly something dropped down and landed in between Jeanette and Adam.

"Don't. Touch. Her."

Simon's voice was low, barely audible.

"What are you going to do about it?" Adam sneered at him.

"JEANETTE, NO!" two voices shrieked in unison, and Brittany and Eleanor were running across the yard to their sister.

"Britt, stop!" Alvin screamed after her.

"Ellie, no!" Theodore cried.

They ignored their male counterparts, running as fast as they could. Adam struck  
Simon hard before he had time to put up a force field, and Simon went sprawling to the grass. Jeanette let out scream.

Brittany and Eleanor got to Jeanette just in time. Brittany grabbed one of Jeanette's arms, Eleanor grabbed the other, and they quickly yanked their sister out of the way just as Adam sprang for her. He landed on empty air.

"FLY, JEANETTE!" Simon yelled, stumbling to his feet.

"Yes, fly!" Eleanor cried, quickly letting go of her sister.

Jeanette gasped, stumbled to her feet, and rubbed her gem. There was a flash of light, temporarily blinding Adam. Then she stretched her wings, flapped them hard, and jumped off the ground.

She soared up higher into the night sky and hovered just above the tree.

"Girls, quick! Call Dave!" Alvin yelled.

"Jean, come on!" Brittany cried, and she and Eleanor quickly ran away toward the door.

"Wait! Simon!" Jeanette cried, turning back.

"Jean, go!" Alvin yelled up to his "sister" as he and Theodore ran across the lawn toward their brother. "We've got him. He'll be fine."

Jeanette bit her lip anxiously.

"Jeanette! Come ON!" Brittany shrieked, and she turned and flew after her sisters. They ran into the kitchen.

"We've got to call Dave!" Eleanor gasped, running to the kitchen. For her, this was all too familiar—the same thing had happened the last time Adam had come.

"No!" Jeanette flew down to land and grabbed Eleanor's arm. "We've got to hide."

"But we—," Eleanor began to protest, but Jeanette shook her head and pointed.

The phone was gone.

"Where is it?" Brittany cried desperately.

"Adam must have hidden it," Jeanette said grimly. "Remember last time? There's no way Adam came alone, especially not when we have our powers now. There's bound to be others around, they're bound to come in here, and we can't fight back against them! If they get us, the boys will do anything he wants them to. So we've got to hide."

The others saw the logic in this and reluctantly split up, sprinting to different parts of the house to hide.

Outside, the three boys faced off against Adam. Simon put up a force field, Theodore held two balls of spinning electricity in his paws, and Alvin tensed to use his superstrength and speed.

"You just had to come back and ruin everything, didn't you?" Simon snarled at Adam.

Adam grinned. "I didn't come alone this time," he said in a low voice. "And it wasn't my idea."

The chipmunks paused.

"What do you—," Alvin began.

Then they heard a scream from inside.


	4. Chapter 4

***Gasp* Duh-duh-DUHHHHHHH! *dramatic music***

**Enjoy the next chapter! Reviews, please, I'd really like to know what you think!**

Inside the house, Jeanette was frantically trying to find a place to hide.

She spread her wings and flitted up to the bookcase, but she couldn't find a book big enough to hide behind. She looked frantically around, and then soared down to the carpet. She made her wings vanish in a flash of light and ran for the doorway.

Then she felt something grab her by the tail, rather tightly.

She let out a shriek, but she felt herself being lifted into the air as she fought to get away. Then she was brought face-to-face with one of her worst nightmares.

"Hello, rat," the person holding her whispered. "Long time, no see."

The boys stared at the house for a long moment, and then swiveled to stare at Adam at the same exact time.

"What are you doing to them?" Alvin snarled.

Adam grinned. "Look for yourself."

They all whirled and saw a figure leaning casually against the house.

"Hello, again," a horribly familiar voice called.

And the figure stepped out into the light of the streetlamp.

It was Zoe.

And she had Jeanette.

"Jeanette!" Simon yelled.

"Let—go—of—me!" Jeanette was yelling at Zoe, twisting and turning as hard as she could to get free.

"Zoe, let her go!"

They all whirled and saw Eleanor and Brittany perched high up in the tree.

"Guys!" Jeanette cried. "You were supposed to—,"

"Not now, Jeanette!" Brittany yelled, not taking her eyes off of Zoe.

Eleanor focused hard, and branches and tendrils of the tree began to grow and expand, reaching and slithering out through the yard.

They wrapped around Zoe's ankles and Eleanor flicked her wrist. The vines both gave one quick jerk and Zoe, screaming, fell to the ground. She let go of Jeanette as she toppled to the grass.

Jeanette shrieked as she fell through the air. Simon bounded forward and jumped as high as he could, managing to catch her as they both tumbled to the ground. He tried to make sure that Jeanette was on top of him, and he managed to cushion her fall.

"Come on!" he gasped, springing to his feet, grabbing her paw, and dragging her toward the house. Jeanette ran after him as fast as she could.

"Guys, come on!" Alvin yelled to Brittany and Eleanor.

Simon and Jeanette ran in through the door and skidded to a halt.

There were six black-clad chipmunks in the living room.

They hadn't seen the two that had raced in. Simon put a finger to his lips and hurried into the kitchen. Jeanette followed him.

He sprang onto the counter. She snapped her wings open and flew up after him. Then he pointed up to the tiny little space between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling. She nodded and grabbed his sweatshirt. He jumped as high and hard as he could, and she beat her wings frantically and managed to lift both of them the rest of the way. She collapsed on top of the cabinets.

"Lay low," Simon whispered, extending the force field over both of them and becoming invisible, which made her become invisible as well.

They both huddled there, peering down into the kitchen, waiting.

"—find them!" they heard Adam yelling, and they looked through the kitchen door into the living room as the door burst open and Adam stormed in. Zoe was behind him, along with five other chipmunks. "I don't care what you're doing, we need to find them! Listen. Simon can become invisible, but Jeanette can't, and he's not going to be far from her. Find both of them, NOW!"

The chipmunks all scampered off to different parts of the house.

"Jeanette," Adam called in a soft voice, taking slow, deliberate steps forward.

She shivered involuntarily. Simon held her close.

Just then, they spotted Brittany hiding in one of the cupboards next to the potted plant. She was peering ever so slightly around the door to see what was going on.

Then they all heard a rustle, an "Ouch!" and a "Gotcha!"

Adam began to laugh. "Oh," he laughed, "oh, this is just too good." They heard him step into the kitchen. "I'd come out if I were you, Jeanette. I've got something that might…_interest _you."

Jeanette did not like the sound of that.

She cautiously peered over the top of the cupboard, and then heard, "Ouch! Let me go!"

Brittany heard it, too, and stifled a gasp.

The two sisters watched in horror as Adam dragged Eleanor into the kitchen by one of her pigtails.

"Stop it!" Eleanor squealed, trying to wrench her hair out of his grasp.

Jeanette and Brittany were both filled with rage at the same time. Jeanette wrenched herself from Simon's grasp, which surprised him so much that he let down his force field. She jumped off of the cabinet and coasted down to the counter, using what she could of her powers without pulling out her wings.

"Let her go!" Jeanette and Brittany yelled at the same time, Brittany leaping out of the cabinet just as Jeanette had jumped down from the ceiling.

Adam grinned as both sisters ran at him, and Simon knew in that instant that it was just what Adam had wanted.

Simon jumped down after Jeanette, ignoring the pain he felt when he landed hard on the counter. He sprang to the floor and threw up another force field around himself and Jeanette. The force fields, however, worked two different ways—no one outside of the force field could get in, but on the other hand, no one inside the force field could get out.

Jeanette pressed helplessly up against the force field. "Ellie!" she cried. "Simon, let me out!"

"Jeanette, you're giving him exactly what he wants!" Simon yelled at her. "Think."

She stopped and thought about what she was doing, and reluctantly, she allowed Simon to pull her away from Adam.

Brittany, however, was still trying to get out of the cabinet.

"Britt, no!" Eleanor cried just as she freed herself. Eleanor focused hard, rubbing her gem with her free hand, and in that instant, the potted plant on the counter grew and grew, tendrils of the plant snaking out of the pot, wrapping around Brittany, and holding her in place.

"Ellie!" Brittany cried, struggling to get free of the plants.

Just then, Alvin and Theodore barreled into the kitchen.

"LET GO OF ELLIE!" Theodore screamed at Adam.

Adam just laughed at him.

Theodore stared desperately at Eleanor, blinking furiously. The others frowned and wondered why he was blinking so hard.

Eleanor gasped.

"NOW!" Theodore yelled.

She instantly clapped a paw over her eyes, and Theodore sent a bright flash of light right at Adam.

"Aaaaaah!" Adam yelled, letting go of Eleanor. Eleanor instantly rushed into Theodore's arms, and he hugged her tight. Then he grabbed her paw and dragged her out of the room.

_Of course, _Simon realized. _He was blinking morse code at her to let her know what he was going to do!_

Simon put down the force field at last, and Jeanette dashed to help Brittany out of the plants.

Suddenly, there was a sonic blast.

It seemed to have come from Adam!

The chipmunks were instantly all blown to the floor.

"You can genetically alter yourself to give yourself powers," he said smugly, "and so can I."

_We're not genetically altered, but he must be, _Eleanor thought. Then she realized, _he doesn't know about the gems…_

Jeanette cried out as Simon hit his head, hard, on the counter. He seemed to be struggling to stay conscious.

Then she was filled with rage. A rage so strong that she was ready to attack Adam. She had been afraid of him for so long, but she wasn't now.

The others tried to regroup themselves, but Adam had selected a target.

Simon.

Jeanette gasped and let go of the plants. She began to run as fast as she could.

"Isn't this cute," Adam sneered as he took a step forward, and then another. "You all put up a very good fight, but I'm still going to get exactly what I wanted." Simon tried to get to his feet, but his legs weren't working.

Adam raised his hands, looking ready to let out another sonic blast like the first one.

"HEY!"

He turned to see Jeanette standing on top of the counter, wings outspread, looking murderous.

"Don't hurt him!" she yelled. "Don't hurt any of my family ever again!"

And before he could do anything, she had launched herself off the counter, soared down through the air, and smashed into the side of his head, hard. Adam lifted his hands.

Just as Jeanette's feet made contact with his head, he let out a sonic blast. The result was that he toppled to the floor, unconscious because of the blow delivered to him, but Jeanette was thrown across the room, crashed hard into the wall, and toppled to the ground, absolutely still.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here we go with chapter five! You were all mad at me because of the cliffie ;) Can't seem to help myself!**

**Enjoy! Review, review, review, please!**

Brittany didn't know what was happening.

She heard someone screaming, high-pitched and loud, not stopping. She thought it might have been herself.

Alvin ran forward to grab Brittany's paw. Brittany heard the screams cut off, and she stared at her motionless sister in horror.

Simon was instantly at her side faster than they could blink. "Jeanette. Jeanette, wake up."

She wasn't moving.

"Jeanette, please." He sounded desperate. "You have to wake up. Wake up, Jean. Jean, please. Wake up. Say something. Come on."

Nothing.

"No." Now Simon was crying. "No. Jeanette…"

Just then, Zoe raced into the room. She smiled at Jeanette's still form. "Well, looks like Miss Jeanette has gotten herself into some trouble," she snickered.

Simon wrapped his arms protectively around Jeanette, glaring up at Zoe. "Leave her alone," he snarled.

"I don't think I will," she said mockingly, taking a step forward, and then another.

Then she spied Adam, motionless on the ground, and moved toward him.

Alvin snatched him up and threw him across the room. Simon carefully laid Jeanette out on the ground and grabbed Adam with one hand, pulling him in close. Then, just as Zoe lunged, he expanded a force field around himself, Adam, and Jeanette.

"You'll never touch her," he hissed at Zoe. "And Adam is going to jail with you, where he belongs."

Zoe tried helplessly to break the force field, but she couldn't.

Just then, there was a loud noise from the front of the room. Zoe glared fiercely at Simon before dashing out to investigate.

Suddenly, Adam stirred slightly and shoved himself up on one elbow. Simon extended the force field over Alvin, and Alvin hurried to his brother's side. Simon protectively shielded Jeanette's body with his.

Just then, he felt Jeanette stir under his arm. He gasped and looked down at her, and her purple eyes were struggling to open.

"Jeanette!" he gasped, hugging her tightly. "You're all right! I thought…I thought…" He struggled for breath.

"What…happened?" she murmured dizzily.

Adam's lip curled. He knocked Alvin to the side as easily as if Alvin weighed nothing and began to step forward toward Simon.

"ADAM, DON'T YOU DARE!"

The loud voice came from behind them, and they all whirled around to see a brown-haired chipmunk standing in the doorway, her hands planted on her hips.

"Monique?" Jeanette frowned. The little chipmunk she had befriended in the caves lived in a tree in a park nearby. "Where did you come from?" The chipmunks visited her and saw some of her, but not a lot. What was she doing here? Especially right now?

Adam stared at her in astonishment.

She locked eyes with Adam, a fierce fire in her eyes that he had never seen before.

He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off. "No, Adam," she snapped. "It's time you listen to me for a change."

He flinched back.

She stared him down. "No," she said firmly. "You, Adam, are better than that. You were the nicest, most polite chipmunk that anyone could ever meet. You did things for others. Then, when Callie was gone…"

He winced as though she had slapped him, but she pressed on anyway. "Ever since she left, you have basically gone _insane. _That is _not _how she'd wanted it to happen, Adam. You need to straighten up and get yourself back. That's how she wanted it to be."

In that instant, Adam clearly saw everything that he'd been doing in the past few months, how ferocious he'd become, what a monster he had turned into. And his head became clearer than it had since Callie had left him.

He stared down at Jeanette and Simon, who were huddled together on the floor, staring up at him in shock and fear. He cringed. How much had he done to make them look at him like that…?

His arm had been raised to let out a sonic blast, but he took a deep breath and lowered it.

It was time to stop acting like a monster.

Monique smiled, and her face relaxed. "I knew it," she whispered. "I knew that the real Adam was still in there somewhere."

He frowned at her, one eyebrow raised. "What do you…" he began.

"This was a test, Adam," she whispered, her face kind and beautiful all of a sudden. "You passed it. You did. You're back, Adam."

"What are you talking about?" he stammered. "Who are you?"

"I'm the person that you know better than anyone else," she whispered, and she began to change.

Simon was so astonished that his force field flickered and died. Jeanette pushed herself up on one elbow, clutching her head with her other paw, staring in shock.

Slowly, Monique grew thinner and taller. Her brown fur began to grow longer and longer, and lighter. Soon it was a deep, shimmering red. Monique's brown clothes faded away into a sparkling turquoise dress. Her nails grew longer, and her hair swung down to her waist.

She opened her eyes, and Adam let out a shuddering gasp, as though he had been doused in ice water.

Those purple, sparkling eyes that so matched Jeanette's. Those eyes that Adam knew better than anything in his entire life.

Monique was gone.

Calissa stood before them, smiling ear to ear at Adam.

"Callie," he whispered, trembling from head to toe.

"Adam," she whispered back.

And then they were running for each other, Adam sprinting as fast as he could, until they met in the center of the kitchen. Adam swept Callie off of her feet, twirling her around. They were both laughing and crying, and Callie buried her face into Adam's shoulder. He hugged her tightly around the waist, and didn't ever want to let go.

Simon helped Jeanette into a sitting position as the two chipmunks watched Adam and Callie. They were both smiling, in spite of everything that had happened to them. Simon instinctively wrapped a hand around Jeanette's waist, and she curled up into his side, leaning her head on his shoulder. Alvin hugged Brittany tighter to him, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Theodore and Eleanor, who had snuck back in to stand in the doorway, reached out to hold one another's paws.

Finally, Callie leaned her head back to stare into Adam's eyes.

"Oh, Adam, I missed you so much," she cried, tears glistening into her eyes.

Then she turned and released him. She and Jeanette stared at each other for a long moment.

Then she broke away from Adam and walked over to Jeanette. The two chipettes stared at each other.

Then, to their astonishment, Callie leaned down and helped Jeanette off the floor. Then she wrapped her arms around Jeanette and pulled her into a tight hug, as though they were sisters that hadn't seen each other in a long, long time.

Callie was really crying now, truly crying. Tears spilled down her cheeks. Simon was even more surprised to see that Jeanette was crying, too.

"I'm sorry," Callie was sobbing. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Me, too," Jeanette whispered, hugging Callie back. "Me, too."

The other chipmunks stared at them in shock for a while until Callie pulled back. The two stared into each other's eyes for a long time, and it looked like they were communicating silently.

When, in fact, they were.

_I'm so sorry for everything that's gone on, _Callie told Jeanette. _Adam…he didn't know what he was doing. He was grieving. I'm not sure he was quite right in the head._

_**I know, **_Jeanette answered. _**I'm sorry, too. You've gone through so much, always trapped in my mind. I feel so…empty, light. How did you get out?**_

_Adam's lab, _Callie replied. _He…he threw you, and you crashed into those test tubes, and they spilled all over you. He had made that serum by accident. It caused you and I to become two separate people. I disguised myself as his servant. I wanted to get close to you. I wanted to tell you that we're still friends…or, at least, I want to be. I know you've been a prisoner in my mind…but I know you better than anyone, Jeanette, and I do want to be your friend._

_**Oh, Callie, I want to be your friend, too! You…you were Monique, Callie. You were my servant, and then my friend. You were the only nice one to me in that place. You cared for me, you comforted me. I will always love you like a sister for that. Besides, you were my prisoner as much as I was yours. I wish there was something I could have done to change that.**_

"But we're not prisoners anymore," Callie said aloud, and Jeanette smiled and held her new friend's paw.

"No," she agreed.

"We're two different people now, Jeanette," Callie told her, and they all watched in astonishment as Callie's eyes, her eyes so similar to Jeanette's, began to darken. They melted into a beautiful shade of chocolate brown, and Adam let out an involuntary sigh.

"Now we're truly two different people," she told Jeanette in a low whisper, hugging her again. "And we're still friends. Just like we always will be."

Adam came forward again, and she threw her arms around his neck, and they kissed.

Smiling, the other chipmunk couples watched them.

One thought rang true in all their minds—

_They belong together._

Adam took a deep breath and walked over to Jeanette. His eyes were—for the first time since she'd seen them—clear, and sane. The wild flicker was gone, and he seemed truly at ease, truly happy.

Adam stared at her purple eyes. One paw was still reached back, gripping Simon's tightly in hers. He saw for the first time how much they cared for each other, and how much pain he had caused them. She was his Callie. He was swept with a guilt and shame so crippling he nearly fell over.

"Jeanette," he stammered, not finding a way to express the apology that he felt. "I…I can't…you…I…I'm…"

She tenderly reached a hand up and put it on his shoulder. Then she drew him into a hug. It was not the way she hugged Simon, nor the way he had hugged Callie. Just a friendly hug.

"It's all right," she whispered. "I understand."

He smiled gratefully at her and extended a paw. "Friends?" he asked sheepishly.

"Definitely," she said with a grin, shaking it hard.

Then someone cleared their throat from over in the doorway.

They whirled to see Zoe, standing in much the same manner as Adam. Her head was bowed. The wild note in her eyes had vanished, and she looked more remorseful than words could express.

"Zoe," Callie cried, and the name of her adoptive mother tore from her throat like a sob. "Oh, _Zoe."_

Callie ran for her mother and sprang up into Zoe's arms, hugging her as tightly as she could manage. Zoe cuddled her close and let out a sigh of relief. Finally, finally, she was content.

"Oh, Callie, I'm sorry," she whispered. "I lied to you every step of the way. I never told you who you had been. Everything I told you was a lie."

"No," Callie told her mother tenderly. "You told me you loved me. And I can see now in your eyes that you were _not _lying when you said that."

"Forgive me?" Zoe asked, searching her daughter's new, beautiful, chocolate-brown eyes.

"Of course," Callie told her, hugging her tightly.

"Oh, no," Adam said suddenly, looking scared. "Zoe and I…we've done so many wrong things. We have to go to jail. They're going to take us to jail…"

Callie looked afraid as she hopped out of Zoe's arms, and Adam hugged her close. "It's all right," he assured her. "You've done nothing wrong. It's Zoe and I that are at fault."

"No," Callie cried, clutching desperately at him. "I can't lose you. I just got you back!"

Simon remembered how he had felt when he got Jeanette back after all those months at sea, and he knew how Adam, Zoe, and Callie must be feeling. He saw that they were a family of their own, and he knew what he had to do.

Silently, he forgave.

He forgave them for the wrongs that they had done against him and Jeanette. He forgave them for the misery and grief they'd caused. He forgave them for everything.

And then he helped them.

"You know," he chimed in, "Dave really knows his way around a police station. I'm sure he can help you guys out."

Zoe, Callie, Adam, and Jeanette looked back at him in surprise. Jeanette's eyes softened as she stared deep into Simon's, and he clearly read the message she was sending him—_thank you._ He smiled at her. There were so many questions he needed answered—how they were communicating, how Callie had been separated from Jeanette, why they were so close all of a sudden…but he knew that he would have plenty of time to get the full story later.

"Really, Simon?" Adam asked him quietly, and the two chipmunks locked eyes.

"Yes," Simon told him, his gaze not wavering, and Adam knew that he was forgiven.

"Thank you," Adam told him, and there was a new comradeship in both of them.

"What do they do in the meantime?" Brittany asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Dave doesn't get back until two weeks," Eleanor nodded. "Toby's coming the second week, but until then…"

"Claire!" Theodore cried.

Eleanor brightened. "Of course! I'm sure Claire would be happy to help," she said excitedly. "I'll go call—," She turned and then frowned at the empty phone cradle.

"Oh, the phone's in one of the upper cabinets," Zoe said sheepishly. "I…erm…I forgot which one."

"Here," Brittany called, pulling out her chipmunk-sized SmartPhone and tossing it to Eleanor.

Eleanor hurried out of the room, dialing, and Theodore followed her.

Jeanette pressed a hand to her head slightly, feeling it throb. Her leg hurt, too, and both her arms. Not to mention her back…

"Are you all right, Jeanette?" Callie asked, her wide brown eyes concerned.

Jeanette smiled and nodded. "I'm all right," she said quickly.

Simon's eyes narrowed. A little _too _quickly.

"Why don't you go on up to your room for a while, Jeanette?" he suggested, and she nodded. She began to walk out of the kitchen, but a spasm of pain burst out in her head. She clutched it with both hands, black spots swarmed across her vision…

Brittany screamed as Jeanette crumpled to the ground.

* * *

"This is all my fault," Adam groaned, clutching his head in both hands. "My fault…"

"You didn't know what you were doing," Callie assured in a soothing whisper, giving him a hug. "You know Jeanette isn't going to hold it against you. None of us are."

"What if she's not okay?" Adam asked desperately, his eyes wild with terror. "What if she's…she's…"

"She's going to be fine," Callie told him firmly, but he saw the hint of worry in his eyes. She sighed. "Adam, you shouldn't have given yourself superpowers if you couldn't handle them," she said quietly.

He nodded miserably. "I know. I thought that the sonic blasts would help me get you back, Callie…but I was going to hurt Jeanette in the process. I still did." His eyes filled with tears. "What have I done?" he whispered.

Brittany and Eleanor were both huddled together in the chair, pressed into one another, staring silently at the floor. Alvin and Theodore sat helplessly next to them, one chair over, not knowing what to do to comfort them.

They were in the waiting room of the hospital. Jeanette was in one of the rooms, still unconscious.

Alvin sighed as he thought of Simon, and then he shook his head slightly. The nurse refused to let him go with Jeanette, so when the nurse's back had been turned, he had snuck onto the gurney with Jeanette. Alvin and Theodore watched silently, trying not to let out a yell as their brother was wheeled away in the gurney with Jeanette.

Simon was undoubtedly in the room with her now, not leaving her side for even an instant.

"He's going to hate me forever for this," Adam whispered, thinking of Simon.

"No," Callie said firmly. "You two are friends now, remember? I'm sure that Simon isn't going to hold this against you. You did not know what you were doing."

Just then, the door opened, and Simon walked into the room, looking exhausted.

"She's going to be all right," he announced, a tired smile on his face.

Everyone cheered. Brittany and Eleanor both let out giant sighs of relief, as though they had both been holding their breath for all the hours they had sat in the waiting room. Eleanor clasped her hands together in delight, Theodore did a victory dance, Zoe let out a whoop, Adam and Callie hugged each other tightly, and Alvin ran over, picked up Brittany, and swung her around.

"When can we see her?" Claire asked eagerly from the chair she was sitting in.

"Right now," Simon told them, smiling, too.

Alvin eagerly scooped Brittany up into his arms, and in a flash, he was out of the room, using his superspeed. Eleanor grabbed Theodore's paw, and the two followed Simon. Adam and Callie ran out of the room in front of Zoe and Claire.

When they got there, Brittany and Alvin were already on Jeanette's bed. Jeanette was in a hospital gown and had an IV sticking out of her arm, but she was smiling as she looked at her family.

"We're all together again," Eleanor announced giddily as she ran in and hugged Jeanette tightly.

Callie, Adam, Brittany, Alvin, Eleanor, Theodore, and Simon all grouped together on Jeanette's bed. Alvin had his arm wrapped around Brittany's waist and an arm draped around Theodore's shoulders. Theodore was hugging Eleanor with one hand and holding onto Simon with the other. Simon had his arm around Jeanette, and Jeanette had a paw stretched out to rest on Adam's knee. Adam had one paw on Jeanette's, and the other clasped tightly in Callie's. Callie was hugging Eleanor with her other hand, and Eleanor was holding onto Brittany. They were all in one big circle.

Claire and Zoe smiled at the picture. The word that came to both of their minds was simple—family. This was a family.

Jeanette sighed, completely content despite her aches and pains. Adam was happy, Callie was back, and everyone was friends again. Dave would be back soon, Zoe and Adam and Callie would have living arrangements taken care of, and everything would be all right again.

Jeanette smiled. Their adventures since the island were finally over.

Or so she thought.

* * *

_**Deep in space…**_

"So, she has healed, then."

"Yes, she has."

"Then she has not fulfilled the prophecy…"

"Not yet. But she will. We both know she will."

"Do we? Do we really?"

"Have faith."

"Yes…we will have faith. Jeanette's time is coming."

"Prepare the others. We are ready."

"Right now?"

"Yes. It is time."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, guys!**

**I'm back with chapter six! I really appreciate all the reviews that you guys have been giving me. You rock!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Three days later**

"JEANETTE! NO!"

"Simon, I'm fine!" she said irritably, landing lightly on the carpet.

He collapsed onto the couch with relief. She rolled her eyes.

She had been searching for a book on the bookshelf when she had fallen backward off the shelf. She had used her powers, though, and managed to slow her descent and land unharmed on the carpet.

"Nice save," a voice called from the living room.

Jeanette frowned and straightened up, not sure she was hearing things correctly.

She hurried into the living room and looked inside.

Then she saw herself sitting comfortably on the chair.

Jeanette's jaw dropped in astonishment. "What…who…" she spluttered, staring at herself.

It was just like her, except the other Jeanette was wearing a long blue dress, Simon's favorite color. The other Jeanette smiled at her and stood up in the chair.

"Hello, Jeanette," she said calmly, and Jeanette realized that her voice was different. It was smoother and louder, and not quite as soft and clear as Jeanette's. It also had a faint accent…British?

"Are…you…who…" Jeanette couldn't form coherent sentences, and the other Jeanette smiled warmly and hopped off the chair, walking over.

"Don't worry," the other Jeanette said calmly. "You're not hallucinating."

"Who are you?" Jeanette demanded. "Are you…me?"

"No," the other Jeanette laughed, "although it may look that way."

"Jeanette, who—," Simon rounded the couch and stopped dead.

Another Simon was rounding the other side of the couch.

And Jeanette was standing in the living room. Or, rather, TWO Jeanettes were standing in the living room.

"What the heck?" he spluttered.

The other Simon laughed. He looked just like the first Simon, except his voice sounded…different. Louder, lower. And his sweatshirt was a deep purple, Jeanette's favorite color.

Simon stared in astonishment at the two Jeanettes in the living room. He saw that one of them was wearing a blue dress, and the other was wearing Jeanette's normal lavender tank top, blue plaid skirt, and jean jacket. He knew in a flash which one was the real Jeanette.

Then he noticed the other Simon coming toward her.

In a flash, he sprang forward, wrapped an arm around her waist, and dragged her away from the other Jeanette and the other Simon, back toward the kitchen.

"Who are you?" he demanded of the other Simon and the other Jeanette. He wanted so badly to put up a force field, but he resisted. He didn't know if the others knew about the chipmunks' powers, and if they didn't and they ended up needing them, he wanted to take the other Simon and Jeanette by surprise.

"Don't be afraid," the other Simon said gently, holding up a paw. "We're not here to hurt you."

Simon instinctively tightened his grip on Jeanette, the real Jeanette, HIS Jeanette. She clung to him, frightened.

Just then, Brittany came sauntering into the room. "What on earth is going on in here?" she asked, her glossed lips in an annoyed pout.

And then Alvin came sauntering around the corner.

But it didn't look like Alvin. He had on a bright pink sweatshirt in Brittany's favorite shade, and it had a big yellow C on the front instead of an A. And Alvin's cap was missing.

Simon knew immediately that it was a different Alvin.

"Did you meet the others yet?" the other Alvin asked the other Jeanette and the other Simon. Then he saw Brittany and froze in his tracks. His eyes widened, and then lowered.

"Well, hel-LO, gorgeous," he purred, sauntering over to her. "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"

She blinked several times in astonishment.

"HEY!"

The real Alvin, scowling ferociously, pushed his way around Brittany, getting up in the other Alvin's face. "What's your problem?" the real Alvin yelled. "Brittany's MY girlfriend!"

"That's right!" another voice yelled, and another Brittany stomped around the couch. Her auburn hair, however, wasn't in a ponytail; it swung loose down her back. She was wearing a dress, too, but it was a bright red, Alvin's favorite color.

She stomped right over to the other Alvin and pushed him into the couch, hard. "And you already have a girlfriend, so why are you flirting with HER?" she yelled at him.

He blushed, hard. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Huffing, she crossed her arms and glared at Brittany. "What is your problem?" she demanded. "Trying to steal my boyfriend?"

"He's the one who flirted at ME, you jerk!" Brittany yelled back. "I've already got a boyfriend, a better one than HIM!"

"Yeah! You tell her, Britt!" Alvin interjected.

"What is going on here?" Eleanor demanded, walking into the living room. "Why is everyone yelling?"

She froze.

Two Alvins were nose-to-nose. Two Brittanys were standing next to the couch, fists clenched, arguing with each other. Simon was tensed in front of Jeanette, staring at another Simon who was also in front of another Jeanette.

"What the heck?" Eleanor spluttered.

Then another Eleanor walked around the couch.

Her hair wasn't in pigtails, like Eleanor's, and her dress was a darker green, like Theodore. Following was another Theodore. He wasn't wearing a pin, and his sweatshirt was a spring green, like Eleanor.

The real Theodore, huffing and puffing, ran around the couch. "Ellie, wait up!" he gasped. "What…" Then he saw everything and froze.

There were twelve chipmunks, all standing face-to-face with their exact double, minus the clothes.

Then Alvin and Brittany realized what was going on.

For a moment, everything was still.

Then Alvin grabbed Brittany and was on the other side of the room in a flash. Simon pulled Jeanette farther away from the others, and Theodore grabbed Eleanor's paw and tugged her back around the couch.

"Who the heck are you?" Alvin yelled, shielding Brittany protectively. She peeked out from around his arm to stare in astonishment.

"Please, you misunderstand us," the other Jeanette said sincerely, stepping out from behind the other Simon. "We're not here to hurt you."

"Who are you?" the real Jeanette asked, peering around Simon's shoulder to stare at her double.

"We'll introduce ourselves," the other Eleanor said calmly. "We're not you guys. We're your doubles."

"Yeah, we kind of got that," Theodore said doubtfully, peeking around the couch.

"I'm Eloise," the other Eleanor explained.

"I'm Whitney," the other Brittany called, still glaring at the other Alvin.

"I'm Calvin," the other Alvin said sheepishly.

"I'm Trevor," the other Theodore introduced himself.

"And I'm Singeon," the other Simon called.

"I'm Jenelle," the other Jeanette told them.

"All right," Jeanette said slowly. "So…where are you from?"

"We're from a different planet, far out in the galaxy," Jenelle explained. "And our planet is under attack."

"Gee, that's a bummer," Brittany said slowly. "Now, if you'll excuse us…"

"Wait! Please, don't leave," Calvin called. "We need you guys."

"You need US? Why?" Alvin asked, astonished.

"There was a prophecy made, a long, long time ago," Eloise said quietly. "It predicted that this would happen. And it centered around something special. It said that twelve chipmunks would be the ones to save our planet. And it said that they would be identical."

"We think it means you," Trevor chimed in. "We did a lot of research before coming here, and it's the only way it works. You guys are our doubles. Or, rather, we're your doubles. However you want to look at it."

"So what do you want us to do?" Jeanette asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We want you to come and help us save our planet," Jenelle said quietly.

"Are you insane?" Eleanor yelled, popping out from behind the couch. "We're just having a normal spring break, and you guys just BARGE in here with NO WARNING whatsoever, and you announce that we have to leave home and go into outer space and battle against these attackers, and somehow MAGICALLY save your planet and get back home without asking any questions whatsoever! Is that what you're asking of us?"

"Yes, basically," Eloise said after a long, awkward pause.

"Hey, sounds awesome to me!" Alvin cheered.

"Heard that, bro," Calvin chortled, slapping a high five with him. Brittany and Whitney rolled their eyes at the exact same moment.

"This is serious," Jenelle scolded them. She turned to the chipmunks. "Please," she said sincerely, holding a paw out. "You're our only hope."

The chipmunks exchanged uneasy glances with one another.

"Please excuse us for just a moment," Brittany said finally, flashing a big smile at their doubles.

The chipmunks darted around the couch and huddled in a circle.

"What is going on here?" Eleanor whispered. "Is this some kind of practical JOKE?"

But Alvin was practically quivering with excitement. "How could it be?" he whispered back. "They're our exact doubles, minus the hair and the voices and the clothes. I mean, when are we going to get another chance like this? Going into deep outer space and engaging in a cosmic battle that could save the universe! This is what we've been waiting for, guys!"

"I certainly haven't been waiting for anything MORE exciting," Jeanette huffed. "I just got out of the hospital."

"All right," Theodore chimed in. They all turned to face him. "Here's what I think we should do. We'll tell them that we'll help them, but we'll wait for a few days. We have to take some time to prepare, think things through, talk to them a bit more, and get some more information. Maybe we can contact Adam and Callie, and they can help us out, too. If we take it slow, it should all work out without too much chaos."

Everyone blinked at the logic in this.

"Good idea," Jeanette whispered finally. "Let's go tell them."

They marched back around the couch, and Jeanette strode up to Jenelle, who still had her paw extended.

"All right," Jeanette said finally. "We'll help you." She reached out and took Jenelle's paw.

They both vanished.

* * *

They barely had time to register this before Whitney darted forward and grabbed Brittany's paw, and they vanished, too.

Eloise dashed to Eleanor and touched her shoulder before they could react, and they were gone as well.

Calvin, Singeon, and Trevor grabbed Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. They were gone in a split second.

The Seville household was completely empty.

The chipmunks and the chipettes, along with their newly-found doubles, were gone.

* * *

Jeanette let out a cry, but it was snatched away as she and Jenelle began to spin wildly. Wind rushed passed them, tearing at her clothes and hair. Everything was a jumble of lights, colors, and sounds, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She felt like she was moving very, very fast in tight circles, and the only thing that seemed real was Jenelle's paw in hers.

Then it was over, and she landed with a thump on solid ground. She wobbly straightened up, shaken, and tried to look around at her surroundings.

"Are you all right?" a soft voice spoke in her ear, and Jenelle helped her to her feet. Everything was blurry and fuzzy. "The sensation takes some getting used to," Jenelle continued apologetically, and Jeanette felt her glasses being pressed into her paw. "We thought that teleport would be the easiest way to get all twelve of us on board and get going. I don't think that the earthlings have invented teleporting yet, though, so you might not be used to it…"

Squinting, Jeanette slipped her glasses on, and everything came into focus.

"Are…are we in a spaceship?" she gasped in astonishment as she took it all in.

Jenelle grinned proudly. "Yes, indeed," she said happily, gesturing with a paw. "Welcome to the Munk Starship."

Just then, there was a bright flash of light, and Brittany appeared, clutching Whitney's arm for dear life and looking very frazzled. Another flash, and Eleanor and Eloise appeared, looking shaken as well.

Just then, there was the brightest flash yet, and Simon tumbled to the floor.

"Simon!" Jeanette yelled, rushing over to help him. His glasses had been knocked off, just like hers.

"Jeanette!" he was yelling, groping around with his hands and squinting blindly. "Jeanette, where did you—,"

"Simon, Simon!" she yelled, grabbing both his paws. "I'm right here. I'm fine."

He slowly sank to the floor, panting, and she handed him his glasses. He put them on, and then pulled her into a tight hug.

There was another flash, and they saw Alvin and Calvin fall to the floor.

"Britt?" Alvin yelled.

"I—I'm here," Brittany stammered, still clinging to Whitney.

Then Theodore appeared last. He slumped to the floor, groaning.

"The motion sickness will wear off momentarily," Trevor said nonchalantly as he stood up.

Eleanor rushed over to Theodore and carefully helped him up off the floor.

"Where the heck are we?" Alvin yelled, pulling Brittany off of Whitney.

"We're on our spaceship?" Whitney's statement sounded like a question as she stared uncertainly at Alvin's furious expression.

"We didn't mean we were going to come right away!" Theodore groaned. "We were going to wait for a few days. We had to prepare for something like this!"

Their doubles looked abashed. "Oh," Trevor said in a quiet voice.

"Er…sorry," Eloise stammered.

"Well, too late to do anything about it now!" Calvin said cheerfully. "Welcome aboard, 'munks."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys!**

**I'm supersorry that it took me so long to update. I've been camping, and we didn't have wifi, so I couldn't upload the next chapter of my story.**

**All right, Excuses Time over. I hope you enjoy chapter seven, even if it is a little bit late :)**

* * *

**Several days later**

"Jeanette?"

Simon wandered into the room and found Jeanette staring out through the window at the stars.

"Space is beautiful, isn't it?" she whispered.

He smiled. "Yeah, it is," he agreed.

She sighed and adjusted her purple spacesuit. Simon smiled at her and tugged at his own, blue, spacesuit. "Not very comfortable, are they?" he chuckled.

"Unless we're in zero gravity," she smiled at him. They had experienced zero gravity the day before, and it had been a blast.

"This spaceship is amazing, isn't it?" Simon asked, staring out at the galaxy. "They found a way to get normal food on here, and it's been excellent…everything is really spacious and comfortable, and we've got an awesome view." He chuckled. "I mean, for twelve chipmunks heading into battle, it's almost too good to be true."

Jeanette grimaced, to his surprise. "That's exactly it," she murmured. "I've been feeling like it IS too good to be true." She shook her head. "I'm not sure, but…something just seems…off."

Simon exhaled loudly. "Then you've been feeling it, too," he said quietly.

She turned to stare at him in astonishment. He chuckled at the look she gave him.

"I'm not stupid, Jean. I know that something is bothering you, and I can't help but feel that something's wrong, too."

"Did you talk to Singeon about it?" she asked.

Simon nodded. "He just said that he didn't really know what I was talking about, but he'd look into it some." He shrugged. "How about you?"

Jeanette nodded. "Jenelle said almost the same exact thing."

"It's really cool how well we're getting along with our doubles," Simon commented after a moment of silence.

Jeanette grinned. "Yeah, Jenelle's pretty much become my best friend." She gave him a squeeze. "Aside from you, of course."

He smiled. "Of course," he teased. He hugged her back. "We may just be imagining things, Jean. Everything seems fine to me. Maybe we're just nervous."

"That may be," she agreed, staring uncertainly out the window at the stars again.

"Well, I've got to run," he said, giving her another squeeze before heading to the door. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed, smiling back at him as he left.

She sighed and turned to look out the window again. She shook her head.

_Simon's probably right, _she thought. _Everything's going as well as it can in this situation. We've got comforts and friends…I'm probably just nervous. I've never been in a battle before. It doesn't really help that it's hard to use your wings in outer space, so my powers might not be very helpful. Jenelle said she'd help, though. I was so surprised to find out that our doubles all have the same powers as we do!_

Jeanette shook her head, figuring that she was just being a scaredy-munk, like usual. She turned back to stare at outer space, and she let out an involuntary sigh. It was just so…so beautiful. She had read countless books about outer space, and she had studied it thoroughly, but she'd never thought she would end up going there one day. She sighed in content again.

But she still couldn't help that tiny, off-centered feeling in her gut.

* * *

"Jeanette!" Jenelle burst into the cabin.

Jeanette looked up from her book, smiling. "Hey, Jenelle. What's up?"

"O-Grav!" she exclaimed.

Jeanette dropped her book. "No way."

"Oh-Grav" was their term for zero-gravity. Jeanette quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, and sure enough, she and Jenelle rose up to the ceiling.

Jeanette giggled. "Wings?"

"Wings!" Jenelle squealed, and both girls removed their spacesuits enough to expand their wings. Jeanette's were a deep purple, and her primaries were streaked with indigo. Jenelle's were blue, with lilac streaks in them. They giggled and used their wings to propel themselves around the cabin.

Soon, though, it ended, and they floated gently back down to the floor.

There technically should have been zero-gravity all the time, but the monitors only allowed it in once in a while. The girls always took advantage of it to stretch their wings.

Jeanette sighed as she wriggled back into her suit. She flopped back down in her chair and smiled up at Jenelle. "I love it when that happens," she giggled.

Jenelle giggled, too. "Me, too." She flopped down in the chair next to her double. "So, what book are you reading?"

Jeanette instantly launched into a summary of the factual text about space. Jenelle listened attentively, nodding and asking questions, and Jeanette felt happy.

_It's not often I run into someone who pays attention to this stuff, who actually enjoys listening to it and learning about it. I've got Simon, but it's nice to have some girl time with someone else who shares my interests, too. Eleanor and Brittany are nice to me, but they've never really been into learning the way I have._

Jeanette and Jenelle both began to say something at the same time, and then they started giggling. Then they stopped abruptly at the same moment, let out the same aggravated huff, and shoved their glasses farther up on their noses at the same time.

They stared at each other, and then began to giggle again.

* * *

"I just cannot get over it," Brittany laughed in delight.

Whitney grinned, her blue eyes sparkling. "That makes two of us."

"I mean, I thought I was a freak, because I was a half-chipmunk, half-fish, and I can talk and sing, and still manage to be gorgeous. But _you—," _She doubled over with laughter.

"I could say the same exact thing," Whitney giggled. "Minus the singing."

"You HONESTLY can't sing?" Brittany stared at her double in astonishment. "How can you be MY double and not be able to sing?"

"It's astonishing," Whitney agreed flatly, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, I'm just being hard on you, Whit." Brittany rolled her eyes, too, and tugged at the top of her outfit.. "Honestly, it doesn't really matter. I guess we're not identical, are we?"

"We are in some ways," Whitney corrected. "Polar opposites in others." She grinned. "Isn't it fabulous that we don't have to wear those clunky spacesuits all the time anymore?"

"Yeah, I'm glad that Simon got that monitor fixed," Brittany agreed. "I guess being smart is ONE thing he's good for."

Whitney rolled her eyes. "Omigosh, I feel the exact same way about Singeon. I'm glad that we got a way to teleport your clothes on board, though. I mean, some of these outfits are seriously fab."

"Yours, too!" Brittany gushed. The girls both lifted their arms above their heads and twirled around together, displaying the red and pink strapless dresses they were wearing.

"Not the most practical thing ever for a ship, but hey, it's fashionable," Whitney said with a shrug. Brittany agreed.

"Hey, do you know how to french braid?" Whitney asked, flopping down on the bed in front of the vanity that they had placed in their room.

Brittany rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh. "No, I don't," she moaned. "And get this—_Jeanette does."_

Whitney gasped. "No way," she said in a hushed voice.

Brittany nodded miserably.

"Your nerdy little sister knows and you don't?" Whitney's mouth dropped open.

"Horrible, isn't it?" Brittany wailed. "And she won't even _tell _me! She just says there are more important things in life and that she doesn't really remember, anyway. But I know she does. She's got a photographic memory—she doesn't forget _anything."_

Whitney grinned. "Well, Britt, it just so happens that I know how to french braid, too."

Brittany gasped. "Omigosh! No way. You've gotta show me, Whit. Like, right now."

Whitney giggled and moved a stool in front of the vanity. Brittany sat down and made sure she had a clear view of herself in the mirror.

"All right," Whitney said in a businesslike tone. She put on a tiny spritz of perfume, rubbed on her Tropical Island hand sanitizer, and grabbed two strands of Brittany's hair. "First…"

Brittany watched her double in the mirror twist the strands of hair together, explaining each step thoroughly. Brittany paid strict attention, but a small part of her mind was wandering just a little.

_It's not often I find someone who enjoys this stuff, talking about it and teaching about it. I've got Alvin, but it's nice to have some girl time with someone else who shares my interests, too. Jeanette and Eleanor are fabulous sisters, but they've never really been into fashion the way I have._

"And voila!" Whitney finished it off with an elastic rubber band around the end and sliding a pink sparkly barrette into the front. "You're done."

Brittany admired her new hairstyle, turning her head one way, then another. She grinned. "Whitney, you are, without a doubt, completely fabulous," she squealed, hugging her double tightly. Then Brittany pushed Whitney down on the stool and reached for the hand sanitizer, and then her double's hair. "All right, it's my turn now."

* * *

"AAAAAALLLLVIIIIINNN!"

"CAAAAAALLLLVIIIINNN!"

The shouts from Simon and Singeon were already receding far behind Alvin and Calvin as they sprinted along as fast as they could, nothing more visible than a giant red-and-pink blur. They were both using their superspeed to race through the enormous airship.

"You don't stand a chance," Alvin yelled to Calvin.

"You wish, old man," Calvin yelled back, grinning. "I was built for SPEED."

"We both were, technically," Alvin laughed at him, and they both screeched to a halt at the direct end of the spaceship, in front of the airlock.

"Whew! ANOTHER tie," Calvin panted, leaning against the wall. "I can't believe this!"

"I know," Alvin laughed, also panting as he put his hands on his knees. "I haven't gone this fast since I got my powers!"

"This is so totally awesome," Calvin said after a pause. "I've never had ANYONE to race with before, not like this."

"I know what you mean," Alvin agreed.

A mischievous look entered Calvin's eyes. He reached for the air lock door. "Dare me?"

"Are you INSANE?" Alvin slapped Calvin's hand away. "No, thanks. I don't want to die." He was grinning, though. He had finally found someone as crazy as he was.

Despite the fun he was having as they both began to crack blond jokes without their girlfriends around to hear, his thoughts were drifting slightly.

_It's not often I run into someone who enjoys this stuff, doing crazy stunts and making jokes like this. I've got Britt, of course, but she's not as much of a daredevil as I am; she's always worrying about her hair. And she NEVER cracks blond jokes, for obvious reasons. Simon and Theodore are good brothers, but they've never really been willing to take risks and be crazy once in a while like I do._

"So, race you back?" Calvin interrupted Alvin's thoughts cheerfully. "Bet I can get Singeon to break the sound barrier."

Alvin laughed. "Simon can yell louder than anyone I've heard. You're on!"

And the two were off again.

* * *

"…148086513282," Singeon finished.

"Whew!" Simon leaned back, grinning at his friend. "That was a very impressively recited 114 digits of pi." He smirked.

Singeon smacked the table. "Nuh-uh!" he yelled. "Are you serious right now? You know more?"

Simon doubled over with laughter. "I know 115!" he snickered. "The next digit was '3.'"

Singeon growled incomprehensibly at thin air. "Honestly, I've never met anyone who's been this close to me in a memorization contest!" he cried. "You've won every other contest, and I've won all the rest."

Simon laughed. He stared at his friend who had hunched over the textbook again, looking for something to memorize. His thoughts became slightly preoccupied.

_It's not often I run into someone who enjoys this stuff, memorizing and learning about the world. I've got Jeanette, of course, but it's nice to have some guy time with someone who shares my interests, too. Alvin and Theodore are great brothers, but they've never been into learning and facts and logic like I have._

"So," Singeon interrupted, "how many elements do you know from the Periodic Table?"

Simon smirked confidently and leaned back in his chair. "Antimony," he began. "Arsenic, Aluminum, Selenium, Hydrogen, Oxygen…"

* * *

"I can't—reach—the—WHOOOOOOA!" Eleanor had been about to say "sugar," but she suddenly drifted up through the air, soaring up toward the concealed hatch that held the sugar bag. She reached up and snagged the handle, yanking it open and pulling out the sugar.

"Make sure it doesn't open, or sugar will be floating everywhere!" a worried Eloise called up. "We're in zero gravity again."

"Convenient when you want to get the sugar, but not so convenient when you want to use it," Eleanor giggled as her double floated up next to her.

After several minutes, the gravity set in again, and they floated back to the ground.

"Awesome," Eloise grinned, marching over to the counter. "So then we add a cup of sugar." She did so, and consulted the recipe again. "To make our moon cupcakes, we next need to get the vanilla extract…"

"Comin' right up," Eleanor called, feeling giddy. She hurried to the counter, more cheerful than she had been in a while. She had been suspicious of Eloise at first—and rightly so, because Eloise was her double, after all—but after she got to know her twin, she realized that Eloise was the best friend she'd had in a long time. She knew everything there was to know about cooking and she read all the books Eleanor liked to read.

_It's not often, _Eleanor thought, _that I run into someone who enjoys this stuff, reading and cooking and learning. I've got Theodore, of course, but he doesn't always understand quite what I'm trying to say. It's nice to have some girl time with someone who shares my interests. Jeanette and Brittany are wonderful sisters, but they're either way too uptight or way too relaxed, and they aren't really interested in the same things that I am._

"Ellie! The vanilla extract!"

Eleanor turned and saw the bottle teetering and tottering on the shelf above them. Desperately, she jumped up and stretched her arms out just as it fell, and managed to catch it safely.

"Nice!" Eloise cheered as Eleanor stood up, proudly holding her prize, and ran back over to the counter where they were baking their moon cupcakes. "So," Eloise continued as they added the vanilla extract, "did you read chapter eight in 'Wind in the Willows' yet?"

"Yes!" Eleanor gasped. "I could not even believe what I was reading!"

And they were off on another discussion about the things that _they _liked to read.

* * *

"That's so awesome!"

Theodore grinned up at Trevor, who was sitting on the bed across from him.

"Do you like it?" he asked somewhat shyly.

"It's a Meerkat Manor sock puppet!" Trevor cried. "It's AWESOME!"

"Thanks," Theodore laughed. "I know I'm kind of too old for sock puppets, but…"

Trevor shook his head. "NO one's too old for sock puppets," he corrected, sheepishly holding up one of his own.

Theodore laughed. "I didn't even know that they had Meerkat Manor on your planet," he said, picking up another pair of green socks to fold them. He had actually been doing the laundry before he got distracted.

"Are you kidding me?" Trevor gushed. "I love it!"

Theodore grinned. "Me, too!"

"Did you see that last episode?" Trevor gasped, and they both launched into a detailed conversation. Trevor scooted over to the bed that Theodore was sitting on, and he nonchalantly reached for a sock and a piece of yarn as he talked. Theodore grinned again as his double began to make his own sock puppet.

_It's not often that I run into someone who enjoys this stuff, making crafts and watching educational TV shows like that. I've got Eleanor, of course, but she's pretty busy with schoolwork, baking, or reading to really do things like this. It's nice to have some guy time with someone else who likes this sort of thing. Alvin and Simon are great brothers, but they're usually too busy to care about this sort of thing._

"Ta-da!" Trevor crowed, holding up his green sock puppet. He had turned it into a frog. Theodore laughed.

_Yes, this is definitely nice._


End file.
